Cicilline Running for Leadership Position Chairing DPCC

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

PAWTUCKET – Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01) sent a letter to his colleagues this morning announcing that he will run to serve in the House Democratic Leadership in the 116th Congress as Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC).

Cicilline, who had previously announced his interest in a bid for Assistant Democratic Leader, is now running to lead the House Democratic policy and communications efforts beginning in January. Last night, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced her intent to restructure the DPCC with one Chair and three co-chairs to allow it to operate more effectively when Democrats are in the majority.

The full text of Cicilline’s letter to his colleagues is embedded below.

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November 21, 2018

Dear Colleague:

In late September, I contacted you to let you know that I intended to run for the position of Assistant Democratic Leader if we won the majority. Since then I have been overwhelmed by your support, encouragement, and friendship. Working with every member of our diverse caucus as Co-Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC), along with Hakeem Jeffries and Cheri Bustos, has been the honor of a lifetime, and I would welcome the opportunity to continue to serve you in leadership.

After the election, DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan announced that he would be joining the race for Assistant Democratic Leader. Like many of you, I believe that Chairman Lujan deserves a place at the leadership table after helping usher in our historic Democratic victory. Since Chairman Lujan entered the race, I have been asking myself how I can continue to effectively contribute to the Democratic Caucus in an elected leadership position, while recognizing Chairman Lujan’s critical role in our success.

Last night, Leader Pelosi announced that she would like to expand DPCC in the 116th Congress to enhance its role and effectiveness in the majority by adding a Chair in addition to three Co-Chairs. I have decided to run for the DPCC Chair position in next week’s leadership election. I believe this would be the best opportunity for me to continue to serve in leadership and to build upon my experience as a current Co-Chair of DPCC. For nearly two years, Cheri, Hakeem, and I have worked to develop our agenda and the strategy for communicating our message from the bottom up, engaging the entire Democratic Caucus and working directly with members from every ideological corner of our party. I’m proud to have worked with each of you to craft an agenda and message that captures the essence of what it means to be a Democrat and what Democrats will do “For the People” in the majority.

This year I traveled across the country supporting fantastic Democratic candidates and meeting with voters from rural, suburban, and urban areas. It didn’t matter if it was Texas, Iowa, Minnesota, Arizona, New Hampshire, or Florida – everywhere I went voters were reinvigorated by the quality of our Democratic candidates, our “For the People” agenda, and our promise to deliver results for every American.

Our “For the People” message resonated with voters because it was simple, clear, and consistent and it laid out exactly what Democrats would do if we won the majority. Now we have to deliver on our promise to lower the costs of healthcare, raise family incomes, and end the culture of corruption in Washington. The DPCC will play a crucial role in helping our Caucus deliver on those promises by working closely with Committee Chairs, Leadership, Democratic Members and the various caucuses to ensure that every voice is heard and all points of view are considered when bringing legislation to the floor. The DPCC can also help protect and expand our majority in 2020 by effectively communicating our message to the American people and relentlessly emphasizing our accomplishments.

While we must stay focused and deliver on the “For the People” agenda in the majority, we also need to tackle some of the more difficult issues facing our country. As a Vice Chair of the Progressive Caucus, Co-Chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, and Vice Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I’ve had the honor of leading our caucus in the introduction of landmark legislation, including the Equality Act, the DISCLOSE Act, and gun violence prevention legislation. And as the only openly-gay elected member of House Leadership, I believe it is crucial that our leadership team continue to reflect the diversity and strength of the Democratic Party.

Our new Democratic Caucus has incredible talent and diversity and I look forward to working with each of you over the next two years. Each of the candidates for the DPCC Co-Chair positions offer unique experiences and skills that will benefit our entire caucus. I would welcome the opportunity to help lead the DPCC in the majority. I hope you will give me the honor of continuing to serve the Democratic Caucus as Chair of DPCC.